System of stopping steam-engines.



No. 635,089. Patented on. l7, I899.

A. PURINTON & J. R. REYNOLDS. SYSTEM OF STOPPING STEAM ENGINES.

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ARTHURJ. PURINTON, OF WATERBURY, AND JOHN R. REYNOLDS, OF

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNORS TO THE MONARCII MANUFAC- TURINGCOMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

SYSTEM OF STOPPING STEAM- -ENGlNES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 635,080, dated October17, 1899.

Application filed July 20,18-99.

To (0% whom it may concern.

Be it known that we, ARTHUR J. PURIN TON, residing at VVaterburyflu thecounty of New Haven, and JOHN R. REYNOLDS, residing at Hartford, in thecounty of Hartford, State of Connecticut, citizens of the United States,have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Systems of StoppingSteam- Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a system constructed for stopping largecondensing-engines by power which can be set in operation from theengine-room for making the usual and necessary stops or which can beoperated from different points about the plant when emergencies arise.

The object of the invention is to provide a system of this nature whichwill surely operate to stop the engine quickly and in a manner that willnot cause damage to the engine or any of the connected parts. Thisobject is attained byconnecting the throttle-valve in the steam-mainwith an electromagnetic stop that instantly automatically closes thethrottle and shuts off the steam when set in operation and by connectingeither the exhaust-pipe or the condenser with an electromagnetic vacuuni-breaker that is in electrical connection with the stop and thatinstantly when the stop is set in operation automatically opens a portand, permitting the entrance of air to the condenser, destroys thevacuum and obviates all danger of pumping water into the cylinders, asmore particularlyhereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

Of the accompanying views, which illustrate an embodiment of theinvention, Figure 1 represents a vertical triple-expansion engine of atype built for electric light and power stations, with a surfacecondenser mounted upon a combined air and circulating pump, anelectromagnetic stop connected with the throttle-valve in the mainbetween the boiler and the valve-chamber, and an electromagneticvacuum-breaker connected with the condenser and with the stop-operatingcircuit. Fig. 2 represents a section of a form Serial No. 724,505. (Nomodel.)

of vacuum-breaker, and Fig. 3 represents another form of vacuum-breaker.

The cylinders 1 of the vertical triple-expansion engine represented areconnected by a main 2 with a boiler 3 and by an exhaustpipe 4 with asurface condenser 5, mounted upon the air-pump 6 and the water-pump '7.

These pumps, with the combined pump-cyh inders 8, are supported upon abed 9, which also supports each side of the engine the generators 10.

The spindle of the throttle-valve 11, with its hand-wheel 12, isprovided with a sprocketwheel 13, and this is connected by a chain 14,with an electromagnetic engine-stop l5, supported upon a standard 16.This stop is of the nature of that shown and described in the UnitedStates Patent N 0. 599,014, granted February 15, 1898, and is connectedwith the electric-circuit wires 17, that lead from the battery 18. Thesecircuit-wires may be led to any part of the plant and may be providedwith one or more push-buttons 19. The battery may be a storage batteryof common elements and connected with the generator by circuit-wires 20,or it may be an ordinary primary battery, in which case it would not beconnected with the generator.

Leading from the vacuum-chamber of the,

condenser to the electromagnetic vacuumbreaker 21 is an exhaust-pipe 22.This vacuum-breaker is supported by a column 23 and connected by wireswith the circuit 17. Vhen the button is pushed and the circuit isclosed, the stop is released and allowed to operate and close thethrottle-valve, as described in the patent referred to, and thevacuumbreaker is tripped, so that the vacuum-exhaust will be opened,both the stop and the breaker being upon the same circuit actingsimultaneously,

The vacuum-breaker illustrated in Fig. 1 is represented on larger scalein Fig. 3, in which parts are broken away to show the arrangement ofthis form of breaker. In the shell 24 in this form is a piston-valve 25,that is movable in the valve-chamber toward and from the seat 26 in sucha direction that it is held to the seat by the influence of the vacuumin the condenser and acting through the exhaust-pipe 22. This valve isprovided with guiding-lugs 27, and through the Wall of the shell to thevalve-chamber is an opening 28.

Opening into the shell on the vacuum side of the piston-valve is apassage 29, and in this passage is a plunger-valve 30. The stem of thisplunger-valve is connected with a lever 31. A spring 32 is alsoconnected with this lever and normally tends to pull down one end andlift the valve from its seat. The oscillation of the valve-lever in thismanner, however, is prevented by the trip-lever 33. This trip-lever isheld in engagement with the valve-lever by a spring 34 and is providedwith an armature 35, that is so attracted when the magnet 36 is excitedas to release the triplever from the valve-lever and allow thevalvelever to be moved by its spring. When this lever is moved by itsspring, the plungervalve is lifted from its seat and air is permitted topass around the valve-stem through the passage 29, and thus reduce thepull of the vacuum upon the piston-valve 25. When the vacuum is reduced,the plunger-valve is instantly lifted from its seat and the large port28 is opened.

In the form illustrated in Fig. 3 the springoperated plunger-valve islocated in a passage at one side of the main piston-valve chamber, whilein the form illustrated in Fig. 2 the plunger-valve is located at thecenter of the piston-plunger.

The piston-valve 37 of Fig. 2 is movable in the shell 38 toward and fromthe seat 39 and is provided with guiding-ribs 40. There is a passage 41through the center of this pistonvalve, and this passage is closed atone end by the plungervalve 42, the stem of which is connected with thevalve lever 43. This valve-lever has a spring 44 and is normally heldfrom movement by a trip-lever 45, having an armature 46, that isattracted when the magnet 47 is excited. In this instance when themagnet is excited and the trip-lever releases the valve-lever the springof that lever causes the plunger-valve to be lifted, and this reducesthe vacuum, so that the piston-valve will be thrown open and open thepassage 48 in the shell, and thus entirely break the vacuum.

As the throttle-val ve closer an d the vacuunr breaker are operated bysprings held tense by means of trips that are released by magnets in thesame circuit the operations of these mechanisms are simultaneous.

By means of this system the engineer at the stated times or anyoperative when an emergency arises may by touching a button surely andquickly stop the engine without danger or damage, for before the stopcan operate to turn the valve sufficiently to completely throttle thelive steam the vacuum-breaker will have opened the exhaust, so as tobreak the vacuum, and this reduces the pull upon the pistons and alsoobviates any liability of sucking water from the condenser into thecylinders by the continued movement of the pistons, due to the momentumof the parts.

We claim as our invention 1. An engine-stopping system consisting of anelectromagnetic stop connected with a throttle-valve in the steam-main,an electromagnetic vacunm-break'er connected with the condenser, and anelectric circuit connecting the stop and the vacuum-breaker with asupply of electrical energy, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with the condenser of a steam-engine, anelectromagnetic vacuumbreaker, and an electric circuit connecting thevacuum-breaker with a supply of electrical energy whereby, when thecircuit is closed, the vacuum-breaker is free and allowed to operate andopen a passage from the outer air to the condenser-chamber,substantially as specified.

3. A vacuum-breaker consisting of a shell adapted to be connected with acondenserchamber, a pistonvalve normally held to its seat in the shellby the influence of the vacuum and closing a port through the shell, aplunger-valve normally closing a passage from the atmosphere to thevacuum side of the piston-valve, a spring tending to move theplunger-valve and open the passage, a trip normally holding theplunger-valve against movement, and an electromagnet for causing thetrip to release the plunger-valve, substantially as specified.

ARTHUR J. PURINTON. JOHN R. REYNOLDS. WVitnesses as to Arthur J.Purinton:

W. E. CRANE, H. B. MUZZY. Witnesses as to John R. Reynolds:

HARRY R. WILLIAMS, E. J. HYDE.

